News awaited me in the morning. One was good: bonus from the High Priestess worked as intended. I woke up refreshed. There was no swelling, nothing was broken. Even though Steve tried to shatter my bones yesterday.

Even my wrist was in pretty good shape, so I decided not to waste time in the emergency room. Hanging out with folks bitten by a rabid fox won’t be as good for my hypothetical HP, as chilling on the sofa.

Card bonuses were not only useful for the hunt, but they also improved my everyday life. I can't say I didn't like it.

I was rather concerned by another piece of new information. I was wandering around the apartment, trying to fix myself breakfast. The TV was working in the background. A local Eastward channel. I saw an image of a very familiar place.

While I and Steve danced on the pier, somebody brutally killed a woman near the storage area. The morning news downplayed this story. But there was a big segment on the auto patrol show and a thread with lots of comments on a city forum.

Eastward is not a huge city, with only about 600k in population. It’s not a crime-free haven by any means, but attacks like this one don’t happen every day.

I didn't want to look at the pictures at all, but my inner voice insisted.

“Aw, man. It’s like a pack of wolves tore her to pieces.” said the Fool.

I shuddered, remembering the story that I made up. Maybe it was a pack of hungry dogs. It’s a new world, anything can happen.

“You think our client did that?”

“You would have gotten the assignment. Even if it was someone stronger, you would still be notified that such a fierce asshole is roaming the area. Unless another agent has already taken up the case before you noticed.”

“Hey, how many of us are there in general? I mean, agents, like me.”

“Can’t tell you. Let just say that you are not even nearly as special as you might think. There are enough people on the job.”

“What!” I pouted defiantly.

Still, not good. A terrible murderer lurked somewhere in a mile radius from my house. Doesn't matter if it was an Atma monster or an ordinary maniac. While I was doing all sorts of nonsense, my neighbors were in danger. Alice was in danger.

“So that's what she worried about! There’s a killer on the loose, and she couldn’t reach me.”

Deep down, I still craved this family warmth and care. But the Fool had to ruin everything. That's why he is the Fool.

“Or, she thought that you snapped, caught the girl in the alley, and gutted her. Just like the gnomes told you to.”

All the warmth evaporated in a blink.

“I’ve only seen those goddamn digits. Why does everyone and their grandmother treat me like I'm some kind of psychopath in the bud? Even you! Although you did this to me, this is your fault!”

I glared at the little guy's reflection in the mirror. He waved a plump hand to me. Cheeky bastard.

“Just a guess! Why should she worry about you, you're tall, strong and have this eerie look on your mug? I doubt that any killer will pick you when there are little mortal boys and girls running around at night. Also, this is a feature of the human mind, to always assume the worst in others. You drink every weekend? An alcoholic. Don’t feel like being friends with colleagues at work? Upstart and snitch. Cough? Either tuberculosis or coronavirus, either way you are walking plague.

And you, Kim, have diagnosed mental issues. Of course, everyone dismisses you or thinks you eat children for breakfast. And adults for lunch."

Sigh. He’s not wrong. I have felt the consequences of such prejudice all my life. And then, real dangerous freaks, somehow always managed to hide, or had an ideal image for everyone. “I don’t want her to think that way about me.”

“Nobody does. Let's hope she believes you,” The Fool chuckled. “Otherwise, you won’t get any.”

“Can you stop? She's my sister, after all.”

“All the people are brothers and sisters, Arthur. This doesn’t stop them from jumping into each other's bunks at the first opportunity.”

“Is there an option to turn you off?”

My mood was already irrevocably ruined. I couldn't even be alone with my thoughts. Thoughts came to life and began spewing all kinds of nonsense.

“Okay, okay, I understand. You are a gentleman, and you already managed to save the princess. She’s pretty cute, but you’ll need the Seal of Poison to get immunity for all those potential STDs. Which doesn’t really suit your style. There’s a lot of cards left locked, maybe you’ll meet some nice gal to keep you company on long lonely nights.”

I wonder if the Fool is a separate being, or he is a part of me for real. It's just that he's kind of a little... creepy about this stuff. Did years of social isolation made me like that?

“Listen,” I asked. “Even if it's still an ordinary person, can we do what concerned citizens should do and bonk them? Since we are the militia and stuff.”

“Lynching is still a crime, Kim. You should bear in mind that all Atma creatures turn into dust when they die. Even if they are undead. But if you fight a human with your strength, can you guarantee their survival? The body will remain, and that means trouble. Did you forget about the masquerade? We should never draw too much attention to ourselves.”

“Right.”

We got lucky, nobody noticed Steve’s soul trying to run away from him. It would be all over Youtube by now.

“Leave mortal villains to mortals, Arthur. We have more important work to do.”

“I don’t see any quests, though.”

“But that’s good! No monsters, no causalities. You still have time to train and upgrade. Are you greedy for all those sweet zan?”